Integris opens $100M cancer center in Oklahoma City

Technology Site to unite specialists

The Integris Cancer Institute of Oklahoma opened Wednesday as a $100 million center bringing together experts in research, care, prevention and treatment.

Phil Lance, left, president of the Integris Cancer Institute of Oklahoma, talks to Gov. Brad Henry in the radiation oncology area during Wednesday's grand opening celebration.

The center is next to the ProCure Proton Therapy Center, which is at Memorial Road and N MacArthur Boulevard.

Together, the facilities offer specialists and specialized technology to help Oklahoma cancer patients "fight the scourge and curse of cancer," Stanley Hupfield, president and chief executive of Integris Health, said during Wednesday's grand opening celebration.

He said the center will employ about 200 people and treat about 1,500 patients each year, linking the Integris clinics across the state.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Oklahoma, officials said, and nearly everyone knows someone who has battled the disease.

Gov. Brad Henry said his father died of lung cancer. He said others will live because of sites like the Integris center.

"It will make a tremendous difference in the future of Oklahoma," Henry said. "Clearly that Oklahoma spirit of compassion and goodness and caring for others is alive and well in the Integris Cancer Institute of Oklahoma."

The 135,000-square-foot building includes suites for radiation therapy, chemotherapy infusions, MRIs and other types of imaging, along with space for clinical trials and research.

The proton center is one of only six such sites in the United States.

"This facility is a dream come true," said Dr. Kiran Prabhu, a radiation oncologist. "Cancer is no longer a death sentence. Many patients can go on to live normal lives."